Justify a Windows Phone APP

[MadDogFL62]

My company has had a mobile version of our applications in the market for3 to 4 years now. Apple and Android are supported, but not Windows Phone. As our functionality goes global, it only makes sense to add a WP version of our app with "outside of the US" adoption of the Windows Phone being as strong as it is.

Can anyone point me in the right direction for gathering some 2015 stats on Global Windows Phone adoption, number of units in marketplace, business adoption or business adoption by vertical?

 

[Pete]

Hi there,

This question very neatly describes the reason why there's not more apps for Windows Phone and as a consequence why there's a lower market share.

Companies and app development houses will invariably ask this question in order to put forward a business case or justify the resources needed to create a Windows Phone app. They'll see the state of the market share and then decide that the number of available customers isn't worth the expense of Windows Phone development. The process then stops, a few people complain that an app isn't being created, but "the number speak for themselves".

A few months ago, Microsoft produced tools that helps developers port their Android apps to Windows Universal Apps, a fairly pain-free way of increasing their user base. But again, "the numbers speak for themselves", and nothing gets done.

Personally, I'd suggest not looking at the existing market share of Windows Phone, but look instead at the effort of using Microsoft's development tool to translate your Android app to Windows Phone (the effort is a lot smaller than starting from scratch). Send the app out and let users use it.

The business case is simple - X amount of man hours to translate the app results in Y amount of new customers.

 

[trivishal]

Due to the market share of Windows Phones is low( 2.5-3%), composed of almost 97% phones by Microsoft/ Nokia, even within this, the majority of phones are low end ones which are of sub 200 $ category predominantly made of 5** and 6** Lumia phones which make upto 58% of Windows phone sold. This is the reason of not every apps, low quality apps, no major apps, and major apps with low quality and sub par as compared to apps on other Mobile OSes in windows phones

 

[PepperdotNet]

I suggest you consider not just the market share of Windows phones but the potential billions of devices running Windows including laptops, tablets, desktops, etc. If there's a business case for your app on a desktop it is pretty trivial to support phones when you publish it to the Windows store.

 

[trivishal]

I suggest you consider not just the market share of Windows phones but the potential billions of devices running Windows including laptops, tablets, desktops, etc. If there's a business case for your app on a desktop it is pretty trivial to support phones when you publish it to the Windows store.

But, I haven't seen much decent apps on Windows phones compared to Ios, Android, Windows PC. For eg. No good Facebook and Twitter apps, No Chrome or Mozilla browser, No official YouTube app and Quality YouTube downloader, No torrent downloader apps, No official google map app, No good Games apps and so on, even in Windows 10 Mobile Technical Preview app store.

 

[colinkiama]

But, I haven't seen much decent apps on Windows phones compared to Ios, Android, Windows PC. For eg. No good Facebook and Twitter apps, No Chrome or Mozilla browser, No official YouTube app and Quality YouTube downloader, No torrent downloader apps, No official google map app, No good Games apps and so on, even in Windows 10 Mobile Technical Preview app store.

On windows phone, we rely on third party apps (which often do a better job than the official ones on other phones). Youtube: Mytube!, metrotube, tubecast. Twitter: Tweetium
There is a torrent downloader called Torrex or something like that. If you are saying they are no good games then you probably have a 512mb ram phone or you aren't looking hard enough. Look at the games section of the WP central site or app and even the top games in the store. Edge is looking like it's going to be the fastest browser on the desktop which should translate to it being fastest on the phone since its a universal app (when windows 10 mobile is updated again.)

 

[PepperdotNet]

But, I haven't seen much decent apps on Windows phones compared to Ios, Android, Windows PC. For eg. No good Facebook and Twitter apps, No Chrome or Mozilla browser, No official YouTube app and Quality YouTube downloader, No torrent downloader apps, No official google map app, No good Games apps and so on, even in Windows 10 Mobile Technical Preview app store.

What I was saying is that when developers look at the potential billions of desktop, laptop, tablet, etc. and start making good apps for those, then it's a no-brainer to also support phones at that point. The 3% market share argument is valid *only* if you are targeting phones and ignoring everything else.

 

[RumoredNow]

To the OP.

You have competitors, I know you do. Are they on Windows Phone?

Yes > You need to have a presence to keep even with your competitors in terms of audience share and mind share

No > You need to have a presence to surpass your competitors and open new markets

This drive to only support 2 platforms and then sit back, sigh contentedly and think you are done makes no business sense. Risk brings reward, not complacency. Ignoring markets limits potential. What other justification is there?

A flat statement of we don't want to sell to those users makes no sense. Building brand recognition can be considered advertising if nothing else. Companies write off expense all the time. Indy devs are the ones who have the hardest time justifying time and money in a start up market. Companies not putting into Windows Phone means they aren't investing in their brand.